Children’s film festival hosts preview show of upcoming event

LAHORE: The Lahore International Children’s Film Festival hosted a preview show of the upcoming 2010 festival at the Annemarie Schimmel Haus (German Cultural Centre). The preview screening was attended by filmmakers, students and noted socialites.

In the event, selected short films of 30 minutes duration were screened.

The organiser of the event, Shoaib Iqbal, said the festival was an annual event to showcase the best of local and international films made for children of Pakistan. Its objective was to screen films from international and local filmmakers for Pakistani children, to promote children as filmmakers while training them in the art of filmmaking and exhibiting their work at the festival and to nurture and inspire local filmmakers to produce films for children in the country, he said.

The films shown at the festival each year are educational films from all over the world suitable for Pakistani children on subjects relating to environment, gender, fairness, rights, education, quality, creativity, dreams, aspirations, family and friendship.

The head of film and television studies at the National College of Arts, Shireen Pasha, said such events were necessary for the mental growth of children and this festival was a promising start.

German Cultural Centre Director Nadia Riaz told Daily Times that such events were essential as they enhanced the thought process of children. She said that children learn a lot by watching these short movies because films always have an impact on young minds.

Speaking at the event, Shoaib said that he hoped to collaborate with schools and organisations working in education to promote alternative and effective means of education in Pakistan.
Source: Daily Times
Date:8/1/2010